Official ONS figures confirm a modest July setback in retail volumes across Great Britain, though stronger May and June growth leaves the three-month trend pointing upward.
UK retail sales volumes fell by around 0.5 per cent month on month in July 2026, according to Office for National Statistics data — reversing part of the 1.0 per cent rise recorded in June and the 1.3 per cent gain in May. The figures show that July’s dip follows a sharp 0.7 per cent fall in April, meaning the overall picture for late spring and early summer remains broadly positive, with volumes up 1.6 per cent year on year in July, though that annual rate eased sharply from 3.8 per cent in June.
The Confederation of British Industry’s Distributive Trades Survey, which surveys retailers and wholesalers on a weighted balance basis, reported the same 0.5 per cent monthly decline and put the three-month rise in volumes at 1.1 per cent to July — a figure the CBI says reflects improved underlying momentum. That three-month estimate is survey-based and cannot be directly verified against ONS statistics, so it should be treated with some caution.
The CBI’s own weighted balance — a measure of how many retailers reported higher rather than lower sales compared with a year earlier — improved from around -54 per cent in June to about -26 per cent in July. That’s still negative, meaning more retailers reported year-on-year declines than gains. But the direction of travel matters: retailers themselves judged sales to be below seasonal norms, just less so than the month before.
Online retail volumes fell steeply year on year in July, the CBI survey found.
For Kent households and businesses, the national data is the closest available guide — ONS does not publish standalone county-level retail sales figures for Kent. High streets in Maidstone, Canterbury, Ashford, Dover and Medway’s town centres track national and South East regional trends closely, so softer July volumes could translate into promotional discounting, adjusted opening hours or tighter staffing budgets among local retailers if demand stays weak into August. Kent County Council and district authorities use exactly this kind of national retail data when making decisions on town-centre investment and business rates support.
Economic analysts have cautioned that survey-based signals of improving momentum may prove fragile if cost-of-living pressures and higher borrowing costs persist through the second half of 2026.
Source: @CBItweets